Garment press



.Janj 5, 1943.

H. E. KOEPCKE 2,397,686

GARMENT -:PRESS Filed May 12, 1959 2`Sheets-Sheet INVENTo/z.- HARRY E. Koi-:PCKE

ATTORNEYS.

Jan. 5, 1943." H E KQEPCKE I 2,307,685

GARMENT PRESS Filed May 12, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MIMM liNVENToR- HARRYv E. K CKE A TTORNEY Patented Jan. 5', 1943 UN ITE D- STATES PATENT OFFICE iZg'IVLSbv GARMENT PRESS Harry E. Koepcke, East Moline, Ill., assigner to American Machine and Metals, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware ApplicatonMay 12, 1939, Serial No. 273,207-

(Cl. 38l-40f) 6' Claims.

The invention has for its object the provision. of an emcient laundry press linkage.

A further object is to provide a laundry press wherein thelinkage is capable of exerting high pressure upon the work being ironed ina garment press or the like, combined with a light but/Vex.- ceptionally rigid frame capable of resisting. distortion.

A- urther object is tosecure high mechanical`v efficiency by reducing friction` and reducing the. loss of energy by increasing the rigidity ofthe frame.

Other advantages will appear from the description.

The eective ironingof garments requires a. combinationo heat and pressure, The pressure requiredin hand ironing isnot particularly high.

Thepressure of two to-ve pounds per squareinch iof as the buttons and seams, the average pressure.

per square inch must be considerably higher than the pressure per square inch; actually requiredon. a sheet withoutseams. Thetotal pressure actually exerted inI presses, depending uponthe area. of the bucks of the particular press, frequently runs to values as high asV 10,000` pounds. presses are frequently operated` on piece` Work basis and make many opening and. closing movements per minute, considerable energy is expended. in creating these high, pressures andrelieving them. Economy of. operationbecomes. a factor.v

Agreat many. mechanisms have. been suggested for operating presses. IngeneralY these mechanisms are designed to provide for.y a relatively rapid movementv of. the one head from its open position to a position close to the buck with a small force impelling the head. As the other buck is approached a force of high intensity must be provided to create the squeezing pressure previously referred to and. to overcome the resistance of the padding to compression. If the total work put into the pressing operation is to be kept within reason, the force of high intensity must act over only a short distance. Just su'icient to compress the padding and the work to the final AsA the.V

will transmit to thehead through a properly chosen linkage system a force that Will Vary with the requirements, being much larger When the head is being squeezed against thelotherthanduring t-he1 period when the head is being moved ydown to` the buck.

Taken as static structures, any one of a large number of lever systems that have-been proposed willv exert a larg-e' pressure after thepress is closed` and a small' pressure while it is closing- Some offl these' designs havel employed' a roller'` and acam.

I have found that these various statically equivaient solutionsv of the problemk inpractive givevery-diferent result-s1. A number of factors-that' do not appear in' theI solution of static stresses are responsible for the diierence; Thepresshead and yoke have considerableinertia'. The force required to overcome this inertial is considerable; Considerable energy'must'beput into the moving' parts andremoved again during each closing movement. expected. It is not merely' that to'overcome friction and it is not uniform during the' closing movement. As the endof' the closing movement is reached the speed must'l be slow'eddown as itis undesirable tohit the work to be'-ironed a sharp blow. The inertia e-iects may actually' ex'- ceedL the force` requiredi duringy that part of the stroke. forceA exertedby the' air on' the' plunger is not always area times line pressure. It is materially less when thel'outward movement is' accelerating because vofi resistance totheair flow throughsmall Valves and ishighest when" the press is slowing down.

Because of these-factors, which work out to dif'- ferent relative values for eachk type of leverage, a piston which is properly geared 'tothe resistance to be'met whenI closing starts, and properly geared when thepressis closed' and locked., may not be properlygearedat intermediate'positions;

rFhere may' be an excess or lack of energy' at intermediate points`` that causesslownessl of operation-if it is-a lachl ofenergy or requires checkingY devices that absor-bmuch` energy if there is too-much. There may beY linkageA elements that reverse-their motion duringv closing andso'cause a slowing up of the closing,

So We find a dash pot' or equivalent a prominent element of most presses though its V only function is to correct suchI excess energy phases of the closing cycle by absorbing the surplus en ergy. Much of the energy supplied tothe' press is thus Wasted.

` In lcomparison to machine tools or punch presses the garment press frame is` verylight. Accordingly'thezlarge forces generatedrwithin the frame cause spring and? distortion that further complicate the problem kfor the'fenergyso-absorbed The initial force is'notsofslight as" The lever system itself has inertia'. The

is lost when the press opens. It varies considerably with diierent lever systems.

The pressure on the piston may be around 600 pounds when the buck pressure is 9600 pounds -a multiplication of sixteen or more. I have found that to magnify a small force in a leverage system consisting of a series of successive levers or cams the fulcra must be very rigid, at least.

rigid as to each other, otherwise a Very large part of the energy is lost.

The useful work-the squeezing of the laundry and the compression of the padding is only expended over about in a commercial laundry press. Hence, if there are several fulcra and each were to yield but 6", half the energy might readily be diverted from useful work to frame distortion.

I have found that great simplicity, speed of action and power conservation over other combinations shown is achieved by the combination of a light frame with a stress assembly that has little distortion.

Because the piston pressure is so much magnified the squeezing force can act only over a small distance. It becomes desirable to provide an adjustment to determine the position of the two heads when the squeezing force begins to take eect. This has been accomplished by means of a pivoted cam portion of the yoke which carries the head which may be adjusted relative to the main yoke to correct the initial position of the head.

The invention can be applied to a foot operated or a power operated press. While the invention has been here illustrated by an air operated press I do not want to limit myself to the particular form or type of press here illustrated.

Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section of the press.

Figure 2 is a horizontal section taken along line 2-2 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal section of the lever assembly carrying the roller.

Figure 4 is a stress plate forming the side of the reaction chamber.

The same number designates the same part in Y al1 of the drawings. The press housing consists of'a housing composed of steel plates 5, welded to side plates 6. This housing supports a vertical column l which carries the conventional type of padded lower buck 8. ing carries the yoke assembly generally indicated as I I. Pivot I2 also passes through the two plates shown in Figure 4. This consists of a casting, generally L-shaped, the horizontal upper leg of which, I3, carries the usual ironing head I4. The head I4 is suspended from the yoke I3 by means of a series of knife edges with spring restraint generally indicated at I5 in a manner familiar in the art. The vertical leg of the yoke, I6, carries a cam-shaped element through which the stress is transmitted to the yoke in a manner which is to be described in detail hereafter.

On a pivot I2 the heusing the reaction of the swinging lever 34. These three forces intersect and substantially neutral- Within the frame generally indicated as 6 are two parallel plates 9 and I9 which support the rocking lever 34. These plates are welded to the top plate 5 of the frame housing and carry the levers 34 on studs 36. A roller bearing 35 may be interposed to permit frictionless operation. The stud 36 may be locked in place in the plates 9 or I0 byanut 40.

As indicated more particularly in Figure 4 the plate 9 is subject to three heavy stresses, all of which fall in the plane of the plate. There is ,ize each other so that no heavy strains are transmitted to the supporting housing 6. It is understood of course that the piston hereinafter described produces smaller stresses within the housing.

As the stress of the piston is only lg or 1;(0 of those existing between the elements 'I, 8, 9, I3, I4, I5, it is not sufIicient to cause any objectionable strain or distortion. This arrangement of the parts wherein the heavy vstresses are confined between the two plates 9 and I0 which are much closer to each other than the side 6, wherein these stresses are made to fall within single planes such as the plates 9 or I0, and wherein the stress points are placed relatively close together so that the length between the two points permits only a limited storing of tension or compression energy is important in securing the economy of operation which has been accomplished.

These plates that take the stress and which are of small size may be made o1' relatively heavy material, thus further reducing the tendency to store energy, while the remaining plates, 5, 6, forming the outside of the machine, may be made of relatively light weight material without ali'ecting the rigidity of the machine.

The weight of the head I4 which tends to pull the yoke II around in a counterclockwise direc'- tion as seen in Figure l is balanced by a number of springs 2| which are attached to a cross bar 22 pivoted to the yoke II at 23 and similarly fastened to a cross bar 24 which is pivoted on the housing 5 at 25 near the oor.

The press may be operated either by foot or by power. When operated by foot the lever 34 is moved by a pedal connection to the pivot end 32.

yThe form shown in the drawings, the power operto a head 3|, which running on roller bearings 33 bears on stud 32 so that when air is supplied under the piston connected to the piston rod 30 the lever 34 is swung in a clockwise direction. When air is released, a spring 31, which also is attached to the extreme end of stud 32 in Figure 3 and to the pivot 25 on the housing will draw the piston rod 30 back into the cylinder 26 and rotate the lever 34 in a counterclockwise direction.

There are two levers 34; one at each side. 'Ihese levers carry rigidly attached thereto circular pins 32 and 4I. On the pin 4I between the extensions 42 cast on the levers 34 are two roller bearings 45 separated by a spacer 44. The pin 4I, together with the roller assembly 43, 45, carried thereon extends through an opening in a swinging cam 50 which is pivoted to the yoke II at 5I. The outer ring 45 revolves on the rollers 43 which roll around pin 4I. Ring 45 rolls upon the track 46 of the internal cam. Cam 50, pivoted on the yoke at 5I has a limited movement relative to the yoke as determined by an adjustment screw 54 that passes through a boss 60 in the outer face 56 of -the yoke arm I6. This adjustment may be arranged in any desired manner a heavy vertical thrust representing the iron- 75, to prevent binding as the cam 5I) moves about 5I such as by the use of beveled washers 6I and 62. The adjustment screw 54 extends into a part of the cam casting, 52, and may be fastened therein by a pin 53 that prevents the adjustment screw from leaving the casting while still permitting its rotation therein. The screw 54 is manually adjusted by hand wheel 55 attached thereto.

In the operation of this press, starting withy the fully stressed position shown in Figure 1, when air is allowed to escape from cylinder 26 the spring 31 will draw the piston rod 3l! back in the cylinder. This will swing the lever 34 in a counterclockwise direction. The rollers 45 rolling on pin 4I will bear against cam 50. As this cam moves with the yoke II the yoke will be revolved in a clockwise direction lifting the head I4 from the buck 8.

When the press is to be closed the operator supplies air through the cylinder 26 which causes the lever 34 to be revolved in a clockwise direction. As the piston 30 moves outward the roller 45 moves further away from the pivot I2 and more nearly in a line radial thereto.

Initially the pressure on the piston is subnormal because of the resistance to the air flow, the torsional moment on the arm is small and the rollers 45 bear relatively close to the iulcrum, I2, of the yoke I I. Accordingly the initial force exerted on the head tending to close the press is modest. As the head closes the force tends to increase but can be modulated by selecting the shape of the cam 50 such that the normal to the cam at the point where the roller touches passes closer or further away from the yoke pivot.

The shape of the cam may be so selected as to give any desired transition from rapid to slow motion. The adjustment hand wheel 55 should be placed in such a position that the piston rod 30 will be stalled before the piston has made its full stroke by rollers 45. If, because of wear in the padding, or for any other reason the piston rod 38 should have completed its stroke before the press stalls the press should be opened and the adjustment hand wheel 55 turned so as to bring the swinging cam 50 va little closer to the pivot 36.

I claim:

l. In a garment press a wide main frame, a buck and a motor element supported thereby, a pair of vertical plates inside the main frame attached directly under said buck, a lever pivoted to said plates above said motor element and a yoke pivoted to said plates and carrying a head, said lever being connected bearing against said motor element at one end and to said yoke at the other end, said buck and the pivot of said lever and the pivot of said yoke being so situated that the forces imparted to the plates from the pivots therein and from the buck substantially intersect and neutralize each other, whereby the maximum strains of closing the press are taken by the plates and are not transmitted to the main frame.

2. A garment press, having, in combination, two symmetrical plates, a padded buck pressing down on one end of each plate, a yoke pivoted on the plates and swinging between them, a head supported by the horizontal part of the yoke adapted to contact the buck, arms pivoted on the plates, one arm between each plate and the yoke, a cam supported by the vertical part of the yoke, a roller supported by one end of both arms bearing against the cam, the parts so arranged that in press open position the roller bears on a portion of the cam face at a steep angle and relatively close to the yoke pivot while, in press closed position, the roller bears on a portion of the cam face at a small angle relatively far from the yoke pivot to give rapid approach of head and buck and slow powerful squeeze, 'and means to move the arms about their pivot.

3. In a garment press as in claim 2, a cam, one end of which is pivoted on the yoke near the yoke pin and the other end of which is manually adjustable in the plane of the yoke so that the adjustment compensates at the end of the press closing stroke for wear of the padding without aiecting the movement of the head when press closing starts.

4. In a garment press, a wide welded frame, a motor element and a large buck supported by said frame, va head carried by a yoke, a lever operatively connected to the motor and to said yoke to operate the yoke from the motor and two vertical parallel plates inside the main frame, one on either side of the yoke, attached directly under said buck and carrying the pivot of said yoke and the pivot of said lever and otherwise independent of said frame, whereby the strains imposed by the forcible closing of the press are substantially neutralized against each other within said plates without being transmitted to said frame.

5. A press having in combination, a buck, a wide housing supporting the buck, a yoke pivoted on the housing, a head carried by the yoke adapted to contact the buck, `a cam on the opposite end of the yoke, two plates inside this housing symmetrically placed as regards the plane of the yoke reacting against the base of the buck, a bearing for the yoke pivot in each plate, a swinging frame comprising two levers, one pivoted to each plate and adjacent thereto so as to permit the cam to pass between them, a roller supported by one end of the levers bearing against the cam, means to turn the swinging frame about its pivot so as to create a heavy pressure between the head and the buck, the major reactions of which are neutralized in the plates without transmission to the frame.

6. A garment press having in combination a stationary buck, a housing with widely spaced side walls supporting the buck, an oscillating yoke pivoted at the housing, a head suspended on one end of the yoke and adapted to contact Y the buck, a cam on the other end of the yoke, a

swinging frame comprising two levers spaced from each other so as to permit the cam to pass between them, a roller supported by one end of the two levers and contacting the cam, two pivots intermediate the two ends of the levers to support the swinging frame and power means connected to one end of the two levers to turn the swinging frame about its pivot, two plates symmetrically spaced on two sides of the yoke, adjacent the levers of the swinging frame, one end of each plate reacting Iagainst the base of the buck, a bearing for the yoke-pivots in each plate and a second bearing in each plate for the pivots of the swinging frame, said plates receiving and neutralizing the major reactions of the heavy pressures applied between the head and buck without transmitting them to the housing, if said power means turn the swinging frame about its pivots.

HARRY E. KOEPCKE. 

